The Rebuilding
of the World Trade Center site is the most important urban planning
and architectural challenge of our time. It is about healing, repair
and rebirth. We have a duty to commemorate the dead in the form
of a solemn and respectful memorial. We have a duty to repair and
regenerate the city fabric. Above all, we have a duty to symbolize
the rebirth of New York on the skyline, to demonstrate to the world
the resilience, the resolve, the strength and faith in the future
of all those who are dedicated to liberty and freedom.
The footprints of the two destroyed towers provide sites for
the international memorial competition. Monumental walls of steel
and stone will create a sanctuary for private remembrance and
reflection. From within these tranquil spaces only the sky will
be visible-no buildings or trees. Surrounding the memorial sites
will be a new World Square-a large green park.
The renewal of the World Trade Center site can be the catalyst
for the regeneration of the whole of Lower Manhattan. We can repair
and rebuild the neighborhood street pattern that was eradicated
in the 1960s. Fulton Street and Greenwich Street will be extended
and revived. We can reinvent Liberty Street as a vibrant street
market. Instead of a barren plaza, there will be streets on a
human scale lined with shops, restaurants, cinemas and bars to
ensure that the area has a life around the clock.
We can also strengthen connections further afield by integrating
New York's public transport system. Below ground, there will be
a New Multi-Transportation Center, providing Lower Manhattan with
the centralized transport facilities that exist in Midtown. This
new gateway into Manhattan will be marked by a glorious glass
canopy-a celebration of public transport.
The iconic skyline must be reassembled. We propose to celebrate
New York's positive spirit with a unique twinned tower-the most
secure, the greenest and the tallest in the world. This is a huge
responsibility because human safety must be paramount. Immediately
following September 11th Foster and Partners commissioned an expert
multidisciplinary task force to conduct an in-depth study into
safety in tall buildings. Their findings inform the design of
this new structure.
The crystalline tower is based on triangular geometries-cross-cultural
symbols of harmony, wisdom, purity, unity and strength. Its two
halves kiss at three points, creating public observation platforms,
exhibits, cafes and other amenities. These links also have a safety
benefit, as escape routes from one tower to the other. They will
break down the tower's scale into village-like clusters, each
with its own atrium. These tree-filled spaces-parks in the sky-will
purify the natural air that will ventilate the building. A state-of-the-art
multi-layered facade will enable the towers to avoid energy-wasting
air conditioning for up to 80% of the year. The building's raking
corners offer the opportunity for funiculars to transport the
public vertically up the building.
Our plans meet the needs for remembrance, reconciliation and
renaissance. The memorial will be a lasting reminder of the value
of human life. The new streetscape represents our belief in the
highest quality of urban living and the new towers' socially and
environmentally progressive agenda will symbolize New York's commitment
to a better future.
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